- Protest has attracted widespread support but F1 will not join
- ‘If me doing it helps … I am happy to do so,’ says Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton will add his backing to the social media boycott taking place this weekend across English sport aimed at putting pressure on online platforms to tackle racism, abuse and discrimination.
The Formula One world champion – who has an enormous global audience on Instagram with 22 million followers and a further 6.3 million on Twitter – revealed he had been subjected to online abuse and was proud so many sporting organisations led by English football and including cricket, rugby and tennis clubs, players and bodies were backing the initiative, although F1 has yet to do so. Guardian Sport is also adding its support to the campaign.
Related: Guardian Sport joins social media boycott in campaign against hate online
Related: Major sports bodies to start 84-hour social media boycott over online abuse